The Yuanshish Tianzun's boisterous laughter drew the attention of the official observers present. When he produced a stamp, the on-site sages, sovereigns, and official members in the live stream instinctively assumed this was a sign of his admission of guilt. ——Submit the item! Under the circumstances where both spiritual power, spiritual form, and physical body are sealed, and with the Tribunal's seal isolating the spiritual realm, no one can stir a ripple. The inventory section is typically not sealed, as the offenders who enter the First Tribunal are at the very least sentenced to lifelong imprisonment with their items confiscated. How then can items be seized if the inventory itself is sealed? As for the scenario where a convict mounts a final resistance, the Tribunal's Ten Elders—each of whom is a half-divine being—ensure that there is always overwhelming force in place, making it impossible for the convict to be overwhelmed in desperation. Usually, after the verdict is rendered, the Ten Elders personally intervene to control the convict and collect their items. "Universal Merchant Exchange Stamp?" Master Di Hong sighed, truly impressed by the youth's resolute nature. The nine other peak masters seated on the bench of judgment slightly furrowed their brows. Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun seemed to have exchanged something—yet what could he possibly trade for? There were ten peak masters and over twenty masters present. Unless a half-god were to personally attend, the exchange would be utterly meaningless. The elder masters cared little about what Yuan Shǐ had traded, but regretted the precious voucher itself—something even half-gods would covet. Master Miao of the Hundred Flowers Assembly gently sighed, "Yuan Shǐ, don't stubbornly resist!" A flash of green light caused clear vines to suddenly sprout from the long chair behind Zhang Yuanqing, gripping and trembling him tightly. The vines then snapped his right hand, severing it with a crisp "snap," causing the deep-blue stamp to fall. The Secretary immediately said, "Security, seize that item." While speaking, he turned to Elder Cai and said, "Please have the judge immediately confiscate all items from the defendant's inventory." Two guards strode toward Zhang Yuanqing, one pressing his shoulder and kicking hard into the back of his knee, forcing him to kneel. The other bent down to pick up the stamp, but before he could reach for it, the deep blue stamp suddenly surged with bright flames and was instantly reduced to ashes. The rules flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind, and at the same time, he heard the spiritual realm's prompt: 【Ping! Exchange successful.】 【Wanjie Merchant Hall Assessment: Taiyin Origin Fragment, one of the administrator privileges, one of the core privileges, a semi-divine stage item. Assessment complete!】 【Exchanged items: Thunder Sect Privilege Fragment, Wind Sect Privilege Fragment, Void Privilege Fragment.】 【You will now wield the power of the three privilege fragments. Validity period: two minutes. Timer starting: 01:58:80.】 【Ping! Exchange complete!】 A bolt of lightning descended from the void, striking Zhang Yuanqing straight on. The vines and roots wrapping around him, the wooden rings at his neck, and the shackles at his ankles, instantly turned to ash. Even the guard pressing down on his shoulders, forcing him to kneel, failed to cry out in pain—his body turned to ashes before he could utter a sound. Zhang Yuanqing leapt upward, suspended in midair, his short hair standing upright, glowing with a luminous blue light. Electric currents filled his eye sockets in shades of blue and purple, arcing brightly across his body with crisp crackling sounds. A clear blue lightning mark emerged prominently at the center of his forehead. A divine pressure of semi-deity rank poured down like a wave, overwhelming all around. At this moment, he appeared as a rejuvenated ancient thunder god, a furious monarch. With a sweeping motion of his arms, he launched slender electric arcs, each as thick as his fingers. Sparks erupted from the ceiling lamps, which then went out one by one. The equipment in the photographers' hands, the overhead projectors, the smartphones of the audience—all electrical devices in the hall—were disrupted or damaged. The live stream feed went dark. The official observers watching the broadcast lost their visual feed, their comment sections flooded with messages: "What happened? I just saw a bolt of lightning strike the Yuan Shi Tian Zun." "Yuan Shi Tian Zun must be desperate now—stupid. Who could possibly resist him in front of the Ten Elders?" "Wait a moment, Master Yuanshishen won't be able to stir much of a wave— the image should recover soon." With a series of crackling sounds, the image returned, but now covered in snow. In the Hall of Judgment, chaos erupted instantly. The sages, driven by fear, clutched their heads and fled, some collapsing to the ground, trembling violently. "What's happening? What's happening?" they screamed, utterly unable to comprehend why Master Yuanshishen had unleashed such terrifying power. On the bench of judges, twenty or so elders stood with trembling legs, their expressions rigid and faces pale, fixed in stunned awe upon the thunder-encrusted Master Yuanshishen. This was power of half-divine rank! The ten elders' brows fluttered with urgency. "Wheee—!" The sharp wind howled throughout the hall, gusts of hurricane force rising suddenly, lifting the sages into the air, tearing tables and chairs into fragments, and sending the elders swaying wildly. Zhang Yuanqing's back unfolded semi-transparent wings formed of turbulent air currents. Two small hurricanes hovered beneath his feet. This is not the end. The space around Zhang Yuanqing collapses, revealing a deep, dark black hole, as if connecting to an unknown void. The semi-divine powers of the three major professions converge upon him. An endless pressure envelops the entire hall, causing the saints to kneel and lose all mobility, while those of lower ranks collapse in shock. The elders on the bench now stand no different from the saints—even the resilient Yanshi, whose steel resolve has always held firm, now kneels in terror, trembling uncontrollably. The ten senior elders, who have always exuded composure and authority, suddenly rise to their feet. This development surpasses all expectations. Just moments ago, a young man, like a mere piece of meat on the chopping block, has now become the undisputed sovereign of the hall. Everyone is baffled as to where this defiant youth has drawn his strength, yet one thing is certain: the Five-Element Alliance is in peril. At this very moment, over two-thirds of the elite members of the Wuxing Alliance, along with ten peak Sovereigns, had gathered in the courtroom. If they were all eliminated at once, the native spiritual realm forces would suffer a complete imbalance and plunge into chaos. They were all mistaken—Master Yuanshen was no mere piece of fish to be easily devoured. They were not judging a bold, young prodigy; they were judging a defiant demon, a terrifying autocrat. A thick lightning bolt struck down, instantly transforming his body into a spray of water, activating the water spirit's passive ability. "Sizzle... sizzle..." Lightning continued to descend, and under the intense heat, the water droplets evaporated one by one. Form and spirit both extinguished. A high-ranking secretary, thus vanished before everyone's eyes, frail as a mere insect. This scene deeply stirred the surrounding elders. Zhang Yuanqing then turned to the "Nine-Bend River" and the "Biologist," speaking coldly, "You two were involved in the campaign to eliminate me—your deaths are well-deserved." He raised his finger, pointing. A hurricane condensed into two rapidly spinning spear-like formations, piercing through their bodies and reducing them to splashing water. Thunderclaps followed one after another, and even the splashes were completely vaporized. No remains left. Throughout the entire process, neither of the two sovereigns managed to utter a single word. As Zhang Yuanqing eliminated the three sovereigns, Elder Cai, serving as the judge, picked up the small wooden mallet on the table and struck it firmly. "Thud!" The small mallet broke the seal enveloping the Court of Judgment—it was the seal's key. At the moment the seal was lifted, Elder Cai retrieved a seal from his inventory, dark as ink. This was his rule-based artifact, the Seal of the River God. It enhanced all of his attributes comprehensively, with the inner imprint brimming with flowing rivers—so long as the rivers endure, he may be reborn infinitely. In the realm of the rivers, his combat power would dominate even the peak dominators of his tier. Without hesitation, Elder Cai initiated the clan's副本. He had retrieved the Seal of the River God primarily for self-preservation; he never intended to face a peak-tier Primordial Sovereign in this state. Even a peak dominator, wielding a rule-based artifact, could not stand against a half-god. As long as he entered the clan's副本, he would be safe—the Primordial Sovereign's current state could not last long; a mere Saint simply could not bear the power of a half-god. Yet, as he activated the clan's副本, he did not hear the familiar spiritual realm notification tones. This means the hall of judgment remains sealed, isolating the spiritual realm. It is the power of "Void." "Cai Qinhè!" A deep roar echoes as Zhang Yuancheng raises his right hand, and thunder descends in bursts from the void, coalescing into a brilliant blue spear at the tip of his palm. A swift rotating airflow spirals around the spearhead. Cai Senior's face pales instantly, and he immediately activates the River God Seal, preparing to unleash a surging river. But at that moment, Zhang Yuancheng reaches out, grasps a fragment of wood, and declares, "The transaction!" High-ranking merchants can forcibly negotiate with lower-ranking spiritual realm travelers. Cai Senior's River God Seal vanishes, replaced by a mere fragment of wood. Cai Senior is now truly alarmed; the mist that had hovered around his face has dissipated, revealing a serious and frightened expression—a well-groomed middle-aged man. He turns to the nine elders behind him, whose faces are equally grave, and speaks sharply, "His condition won't last much longer. All of you, defend together." Zhang Yuanqing spoke with solemnity and cold composure, his voice like an eternal, unchanging gong: "Either one dies, or all of you do—choose yourselves." As he spoke, he launched the lightning spear wrapped in flowing currents, driving it into the ground at Cai Elder's side. Nine elders—Emperor Hong, Miao Elder, Sword Pavilion Elder, and the others—each furrowed their brows or drew their faces taut, yet none moved. Even the most fiery and impetuous, the Fire Master, had lost his resolve. After years, these peak sovereigns once again felt fear and helplessness. One after another, lightning spears surged forth, forming a thicket of sharp points, with Cai Elder at its center. The gales at the tips of the spears linked together, coalescing into a circular wind wall. Cai Elder's body dissolved into mist, violently colliding with the wall, yet withstanding no ripple at all. Under the spatial seal, all forms of evasive techniques failed. Dragon's song, plague, dehydration—every skill's influence was compressed within the narrow confines of this prison. A comprehensive, overwhelming domination. Zhang Yuanqing raised his hand and snapped his fingers with a crisp sound. "Boom!" A thunderbolt erupted throughout the court, thick as a water cistern, descending and engulfing Master Cai in the thorny grove. Cai emitted a piercing, heart-wrenching scream, his body rapidly disintegrating under the lightning. He was one of the earliest Waywalkers of the Spiritual Realm, renowned from the very beginning of the Spiritual Realm quest. In his youth, he was known for his decisive leadership, helping a half-god establish the Water God's Palace. In his later years, with strategic vision, he reached the pinnacle of power after the Five Elements Alliance's unification. He never imagined that his lifetime of glory and prosperity would be erased by a mere Saint, or that his entire legacy would be extinguished by a young man who had only become a Waywalker for barely six months. "Primordial Heavenly Sovereign!" A furious, resentful roar echoed from within the thunderbolt, and then, in the next instant, the supreme master turned to ash. A century of brilliance, a century of splendor—both erased in a single stroke. The thunderbolt faded, and the The courtroom fell silent. The nine elders stood rigid, as if facing their greatest challenge. Zhang Yuanqing descended slowly, placed the River God's seal into his inventory, and with a steady gaze swept across the entire hall—past the saints in the audience, the elders at the bench, and the official staff behind the cameras—and spoke the words that had long been buried in his heart: In the very end, he turned to the nine peak sovereigns and spat fiercely at them, "Pff!" The bright blue glow in Zhang Yuanqing's eyes faded, the arcs of electricity swirling around his body dissipated, and the wind ceased. His body unraveled, inch by inch, fading away. Form and spirit extinguished! Born defiant, with a lifelong rebellious spirit.